133 episodes
Rachel Johnson's Difficult Women LBC
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- Society & Culture
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3.0 • 12 Ratings
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Well-behaved women rarely make history – as someone once said – difficult women do.
In this new LBC new podcast, Rachel Johnson's Difficult Women, Rachel will be talking to women who had to be a pain in the backside to get where they are today.
Women who take the word difficult as a compliment not an insult. And women who had to fight, resist, insist, or otherwise be badly behaved in order to get things done.
Listen and subscribe on Global Player, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Follow Rachel on Twitter: @RachelSJohnson
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How Alexandra Tolstoy escaped from a Russian Dacha
"He brought in a Psychiatrist to sedate me and handcuff me" From a Bareback Cossack to an abusive Russian Oligarch, Alexandra Tolstoy has lived one hell of a difficult life... Related to the great Russian author Leo Tolstoy, Alexandra has written of her many horseback adventures. She was also in a relationship with the Russian Oligarch known as 'Putin's Banker', with whom she has three children, though escaping his control proved to be her most difficult time yet...
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Sam McAlister, the woman behind THAT Prince Andrew interview
This week’s difficult woman is Newsnight's star booker Sam McAlister. A working class girl who’s mixed with princes and paupers, Sam has always known how to get where she needs to be. The story behind THAT Prince Andrew interview has now been turned into a blockbuster Netflix film, listen as I interview the woman behind the SCOOP
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How Daisy Goodwin derailed the Conservative Mayoral campaign
"Men get away with it because women don't want to report it" This week's difficult woman is author, producer, and screenwriter Daisy Goodwin. The brilliant mind behind Grand Designs, Victoria, and Diva, Daisy's multi-format career is impressive to say the least. Though you may be more familiar with her as the defiant voice who exposed Tory Mayoral hopeful Daniel Korski and derailed his campaign. Listen as she tells EXACTLY what went on that day.
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The Former Chief of Ofsted on the death of Ruth Perry
“People assume everything should be about making the adults comfortable and happy and forget about the extra risk that puts on children.” This weeks difficult women is Amanda Spielman. Former chief of Ofsted who stepped down at the end of last year amid the death of Ruth Perry. A death which has subsequently lead to a total overhaul of how we assess schools and the role Ofsted should play in that process. In her first interview since leaving the role, listen as we discuss the state of education and the future of Ofsted.
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How to destroy the institution of marriage according to Merav Michaeli
"The structure of marriage is a big part of maintaining the gender inequality between men and women" This week's difficult women is the Israeli leader of the opposition Merav Michaeli. Over her 12 years in Israeli politics, Merav has never struggled to make her voice heard. After recently deciding to stand down from her role as leader of the Labour party, we discussed her continued opposition to Netanyahu, a potential end to the war, and her decades long fight against the institution of marriage.
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Dr Charlotte Proudman, the original 'feminazi lawyer'
"A barrister said I should be sectioned and left in a padded room" This week's difficult woman is Dr Charlotte Proudman, a fiercely defiant lawyer who isn't afraid to call a sexist spade a sexist spade. You will no doubt have first heard of Charlotte when she ousted a leering older colleague who had been making inappropriate comments about her linked in profile picture. A stunt that got her labelled an attention seeking feminazi. Dr Proudman has been no less difficult in the years that followed, always at the forefront of tackling misogyny when it rears its ugly head.
Customer Reviews
Barbara Amiel Was An Arrogantly Uninformed Guest
Barbara Amiel was an arrogantly uninformed guest. This review gets 2 stars because the host corrected this horrible guest on at least one significant lie. Ms. Amiel said something like "North American women are horribly spoiled." What utter unkind ignorance pretending to be insightful and the latest example that money or even formal education can still mean that Ms. Amiel can be stupid. The truth is USA women have
A. 0 guaranteed paid vacation
B. 0 guaranteed paid parental leave
C. crushing education debt, the balances of which increase because of predatory interest rates (total education debt in the USA is over 1.5 trillion USA dollars)
D. 0 guaranteed healthcare and can be prosecuted for seeking an abortion and certain gynecological procedures in 26 out of 50 states
E. on average have salaries of 78 cents for every 100 cents that a man with less education gets paid
F. lowest life expectancy among all peer countries
I could go on. The above statistics are even more brutal for African-American women whose ancestors survived Europe’s and America’s crimes against humanity to build the wealth of the United States and Europe.
There are intelligent, insightful women. Ms. Amiel isn’t among them. Please invite intelligent, informed women on your podcast.
Barbara Amiel AND Rachel Johnson
A combination so awful it was essential listening for me. Absolute drivel from two particularly nasty people.
Throwing Tina Brown under the double decker bus
I can not believe how Rachel said to Tina around 20:30 into the podcast, “ Oh yes, you met Harold and started romancing him while he was still married and eventually married him”. Unbelievably obnoxious thing to say to a guest that Rachel supposedly “adores”.
No matter our opinion on what the circumstances were between Harold and Tina those years ago, I just felt like Rachel could not WAIT to throw that into the interview. It came off as nothing more than a jealous fellow journalist trying to make someone much more successful and well known than her, look bad.